Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

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Linden
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Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby Linden » Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:19 pm

I was thinking about this recently, since it is such a big part of how every ride goes. Me, I have a warmup routine that is nearly step-by-step identical every single ride. Lateral work, TOH, TOF, stretchy trot both ways, LY in canter both ways, and so on. I even count the numberof strides in each exercise.

Do you warmup identically every day? Or just wing it?
"Fix things going forward." LR

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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby Moutaineer » Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:44 pm

Mine is pretty close to identical every time--lots of walk work, with stretching and careful lateral work to start with, focusing on loosening the top line and getting particularly the right hind at the moment firing nicely, then onto a brief rising trot session just to check that we have evenness, and then straight into a few circles and straight lines in canter which really helps him get his back moving. This all takes about 15 or 20 minutes. Then if all is loose and happy and swinging along, we get to work in earnest on the topic of the day.

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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby blob » Fri Nov 01, 2019 10:18 pm

Mine is pretty identical for MM, but not for RP.

With MM, I do a lot of walk on the buckle, making sure she is listening to my leg--if i give a light squeeze does she march bigger? This used to be a thing I would have to assert early on. Now, she more or less gets it and I don't have to start off ready make a clear point. But I still test and make sure she's focused and ready. Then I do stretch trot with lots of changes of bend/direction. I tend to do this sort of like a drunk person--not following specific circle lines and mostly just making sure she is loose and able to shift and bend when and where I ask. I then go into canter work. I start in a light seat and get her forward and through the back before I sit down. It's in the canter that I start sitting down and asking for forward and back and getting her carriage where I want it. Then I come back to trot and get on with my ride and whatever I had planned for the day. With MM, it's so important that I get her free and forward before I ask anything else. All of the above doesn't have to take a long time, but there's no point in asking for even a TL working trot until I canter first. But I've found if i skip the stretch trot before going into canter, I don't always get her as loose. So that's our standard warm-up pretty much every ride.

With RP it really depends on how he feels. Sometimes he needs a LOT of walk work. Sometimes he needs to start his trot work with a fairly long frame, other times he's up and i need to work him some before he'll be willing to stretch forward if I asked. Sometimes he comes out with ants in his pants and I have to canter early in the ride and just let him get some energy out before he can focus. When he's further along he might have a set routine also, but right now his needs vary a lot and I need to meet him where he is.

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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby Tanga » Fri Nov 01, 2019 11:58 pm

I used to do the same thing every time for every horse, and then I realized how that was causing issues with the horses because they would stress if it varied.

Mine are out in pasture, but I start either with a trail ride with some walk, trot and canter, or if I go into the arena, at least 10 minutes of walk. I always start at the posting trot and lately have been doing super low and round slowly building the forward as the horse warms up, and then doing the same in the canter. I tend to do a lot of circles and off the leg, so I'm working on adding more straight. I want them to come up in the frame as they warm up from the carriage behind, not from me pulling or tight in front.

I'm trying to remember to make sure in between doing harder work where I ask for super collection to let them down and really stretch again. I think about what I do in classes where I work out and think about the time it takes to warm up so I can push it, and how much we stretch through it and make sure I do that for the horses.

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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby piedmontfields » Sun Nov 03, 2019 10:06 pm

For my current horse, it has taken me some time to figure out what works best. My mare feels best if I do a 20 minute hack and then start the formal warm-up in trot. With the time change, I will ride in the ring during the week, so that means a minimum of 10 minutes walking or until she "begs" me to trot. If she is being tense at the start, we instead do on the bit walking with lateral work and moments of long rein before returning to lateral work. After she snorts in both directions, we are ready to shift to trot.

After the trot warm up, we do a few minutes of trot serpentines and then canter-trot-canters and forward/back canters and plies for about 5-8 minutes. Then she is ready for the work of the day. If it is a very sticky/spooky day, we do even more transitions: w-t-w, h-t-t-t, w-c-w-c-t-c-w-c-t-c-w-c etc.

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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby heddylamar » Thu Nov 07, 2019 4:24 pm

With Maia, we do a few nose to rider's toe stretches at the mounting block, then a slow walk around the arena to gauge both my hip and her mood. From there it's stretchy walk, punctuated by zig-zag leg yield (more, if she's slow off my leg). Then we move to stretchy trot serpentines, adding contact, and trotting over anything in our way (jumps, cavaletti). Occasionally, I'll add trot-halt-rein back-halt-trot.

She's normally a Gumby horse, and very responsive to my leg (after a reminder), but the last 2 rides Maia's been stiff. So, I've been doing the zig-zag leg yield at the trot too. It works ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Not sure if it's the weather change, hormones, or what ... she is a dork out in the field and plays at full-tilt, but she hasn't had any unusual scuff marks or injuries.

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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby khall » Thu Nov 07, 2019 6:44 pm

I do WIH with all of mine before I ride using lateral work also to test and see how they are feeling that day. I then get on and walk a bit long rein before I move to trot and canter. I like lateral work in all the gaits and foreword and back in the gaits.

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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby piedmontfields » Fri Nov 08, 2019 1:12 am

Well, there is nothing like colder weather to clarify our warm-up strategy! Truly, my mare will not let me push her forward at all until she is warmer and looser. Sometimes I forget, but she is so clear in reminding me of this! So until she "begs" to go forward, I am much better off doing quiet long rein walk, some walking squares, and if she is tense walk lateral work. At worst, it takes 15 minutes at night under the lights.

It is dramatic how much looser and free-er she is after that time! As in, observers who see her after the warm-up say: Wow, what a nice horse and how fun to ride she must be! vs. people who see her beforehand saying: Oh, she looks so hard to get going!

YMMV! :lol:

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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby Chisamba » Fri Nov 08, 2019 4:47 am

I use both grooming and warm up to assess how my horse is feeling. I like to allow their input to tell me how they feel and what they might need that day. I ride about 5 times a day so doing an identical warm up would be a bit boring I think.

So of course I start with walk. Usually on a loose rein. I let the hirse start in its chosen tempo, but gradually adjust tempo to a good march that will increase heart rate a bit, and get joints moving and blood flowing. I make turns and patterns in walk without using the reins. Look to where I want to go and see if the horse listens to my change of weight. I do the same thing at the end od the ride my goal being to have a more responsive horse at the end.

Then I take up the rein to a long rein , walk, trot big circles, changes of direction, serpentine etc.

I might do poles or something, at the end if the warmup I would like a more laterally and longitudinally adjustable horse.

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Rosie B
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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby Rosie B » Fri Nov 08, 2019 4:04 pm

Linden - just wanted to say I started copying your warmup and it works GREAT for Bliss!! Thanks for sharing. I think the lateral work at walk and the leg yeild at canter are so much more effective at warming and loosening than what I had been doing.

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Linden
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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby Linden » Fri Nov 08, 2019 9:40 pm

Rosie B wrote:Linden - just wanted to say I started copying your warmup and it works GREAT for Bliss!! Thanks for sharing. I think the lateral work at walk and the leg yeild at canter are so much more effective at warming and loosening than what I had been doing.


that's great! IMHO lateral work is what separates effective riding from ineffective. once you can get transitions within gaits while doing lateral work you'll really notice it.

ie. LY across the diagonal while going 3 steps regular trot - 3 steps bigger trot - 3 steps collected trot. just incorporate varying stride lengths within the lateral work.

Shoulder-in on a 15m circle while going forward and back in the canter is a great exercise too when you're ready
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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby blob » Fri Nov 08, 2019 10:42 pm

Chisamba wrote:I use both grooming and warm up to assess how my horse is feeling.


I always use a rubber curry to groom before I ride (unless i'm dealing with a very ticklish horse). I know not everyone considers a curry comb as part of an every day groom. But for me it's a great way to check in on the horse, more than just a brush a curry comb helps me know if a horse is sore somewhere or has muscles that are tighter than normal.

I also don't think I would ever really want a system where a groom tacks up my horse for me. I'm not knocking on those who do this to save time--particularly professionals who need to quickly get through many horses in a day. But I learn so much about my horses from that pre-riding interacting even if it's just a quick one. It's time I really enjoy.

I'm also pretty sure MM only puts up with me because she loves a good hard curry session (you should see her lean in!) :lol:

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Rosie B
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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby Rosie B » Fri Nov 08, 2019 11:08 pm

Linden - we’re at that point now where I can ask for different gears in some of the laterals. We can get medium trot in LY and also in SI. Travers we’re not there yet, and HP isn’t there yet either, but that’s absolutely what we’re working toward. It’s a great feeling. :)

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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby Boudicea » Mon Nov 18, 2019 6:41 am

I don't have a set warm up. I have a sort of loose framework but I tend to change my warm up according to how Sol feels that day. But yes, the warm up usually involves the following components: lots of changes of direction in the walk and then trot to start off, some lateral work--exactly what depends on how he feels, transitions sometimes--again how he feels. I generally warm up in the trot because the canter is a difficult gait for him and he needs to be already warmed up and loose before we really ask for it or it'll be crap. I also can't do the same routine more than once with Sol because once he figures out there's any sort of a pattern to something you're finished.

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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby piedmontfields » Tue Nov 19, 2019 11:34 pm

As winter starts to arrive, I'm continuing my dedication to walking until my mare begs for more. Boudicea, I would say that the first canters on my short, tight-backed Lusitano x "suck"---but they also change her back and make her back looser. So I do them after just a few minutes of trotting (enough to get warm)--but I make them short canters with lots of trot transitions. After a few minutes of this sort of thing, she can canter with joy, snorts and loose-ness. Obviously, YMMV with your beloved fellow who is too smart :-).

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Re: Your Warmup - how do you prepare?

Postby mld02004 » Thu Nov 28, 2019 11:24 pm

15 min of walk, on buckle and also shorter reins, to check adjustability. Lots of free walk on diagonals and then shortening reins on short side. Stretchy trot and canter to loosen up the back, mostly 20m circles. Trot/canter transitions on the circle. Both of my horses tend to have tight backs, stretching at the canter really helps them. Large serpentines, with some leg yielding steps. At the very end I pick up the reins to assess suppleness.

After this, if I can take another short walk break and then go immediately on the bit and ready for work it was a successful warmup. One horse is first level, the other third and it works well for both of them.


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